Morse “L” Station to Reopen this Weekend

August 7, 2012

Dear Neighbor,

I’m pleased to report the rehabilitation of the Morse “L” stationhouse and platform is on schedule and the Morse “L” station will reopen this weekend. The CTA tells they will reopen the station at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Both the Morse stationhouse and the Lunt Avenue entrance will be open to CTA commuters at that time.

In honor of the occasion, I will host a 49th Ward “Satellite Service Office” at the Morse Avenue entrance to the station, Monday, August 13th, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and at the Lunt Avenue entrance Tuesday, August 14th, again from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. My staff and I will be offering complimentary coffee and donuts and taking city service requests.

The project work at the Morse station included viaduct repairs, platform replacement, station water proofing, lighting improvements and new station house finishes, such as floors, doors, windows and lighting. These improvements will increase the safety and comfort of CTA passengers, while enhancing the appearance of the station and surrounding structures.

The Morse station is one of the oldest in the system. It was first opened in 1908, which was the last year of President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration and the last time the Cubs won the World Series. For years Rogers Park residents have been taking bets on what would happen first–the Morse “L” station rehabilitation or the Cubs winning the World Series again. I guess we now know.

The project is intended to extend the life of the Morse station until implementation of the Red and Purple Line Modernization Project, which calls for massive rebuilding of the entire Red Line north of Belmont. The Modernization Project is currently in the early stages of planning and will require several more years of planning and identified sources of funding.

Rehabilitation work on the Loyola “L” station is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks. The work there will be centered more on the exterior of the station and the viaducts and it will not be closed. The Jarvis station is the next Rogers Park station up for temporary closure. It is scheduled to be closed from November 9th to December 21st. I will continue to keep you posted on work on both stations.